Pau Planas and Rocío Rodríguez are a couple, music lovers and business partners. Put in the same score, these three notes sound like La Tornada. The song comes from back, from when the two entrepreneurs were studying Journalism and Economics, respectively. The two dedicated their final degree projects to the creation of a digital music magazine, which they launched on December 8, 2015, with the launch of the first issue. “With the magazine La Tornada we wanted to vindicate the musical youth of Catalonia”, recalls Planas.
They were young and dreamy, but the dream was financially unprofitable. The many musical contacts they had made over the two years that the publication lasted were profitable. “Many event organizers came to us to help them find artists for concerts or festivals. There came a point at which economically this activity brought us more income than the magazine itself”, says Planas. This is how, in 2017, La Tornada became a concert and festival organizing company.
"We are specialized in small-format concerts and in charming places," Rodríguez explains. Entrepreneurs have promoted the Recòndit festival (Pla de l'Estany), the Macroclima (Camprodon), the Espurnes (Llagostera), the Concerts a Cegues (Girona) or the Brogit (travelling through the Gironès). La Tornada focuses its activity in the province of Girona, where the company is based. The founders, who have the help of two employees, state that their intention is to continue growing as a company, but "without losing the transformative essence", in the words of Planas.
La Tornada, which bills around 250,000 euros, also has a training version. In collaboration with the SGAE Foundation, it offers traveling workshops for emerging musicians. They also help entities, facilities and centers that want to carry out a training offer for musicians or music lovers. Entrepreneurs are not alone in their business adventure, but they have the help of the non-profit entity Netmentora, which offers business support to entrepreneurs.
